Ongoing pandemic has impacted many industries and business across the world as well as Canada since early February of 2020. Real estate and Rental market in Calgary is no exception. Both the rental market in Calgary as well as buying and selling of real estate in Calgary has got hit hard. Finding great tenants in slow economy could be hard so you need to have a plan!

1. Rental Market Assessment!
When you are in the market to rent your property, the first piece of advise you should heed to is to price your rental right! It goes without saying that if you just wing it, then you are making the common mistake that many landlords make.
Landlords who have invested their hard earned money in probably the biggest asset of their life can be very sentimental with regards to market value of their property's rent. It could be a million dollar property and may have a set amount of monthly expenses to cover but if local rental market doesn't support it, you could be sitting on the vacant property for months incurring thousands in fixed costs such as mortgage, property taxes, insurance and utilities bills.  
Instead, take professional help and have rental market professional or property manager conduct rental market appraisal of your rental market to arrive at the accurate market rate. Rental market appraisal considers similar properties in your local area that are on rent and have similar property features like yours. These features include, number of beds, bath, living space, parking, amenities and utilities to gauze the current going rent to ensure your rental pricing is competitive. 

2. Marketing Your Rental Property Right!
If you just bought a rental property or a second home, you may soon be looking to find great tenants for your rental property. This can be a daunting task in challenging times like we have in Alberta oil patch cities such as Calgary and Edmonton. At times like these, even the best property management companies may struggle to keep the properties occupied.
The basic strategy you should consider is to be at places where renters can easily find your rental property. If you are looking for tenants and have still not hired a rental management company, don’t sweat, we have 5 great tried and tested ways to help you start your search for prospective tenants!

A. Rental Websites
Research what are the most popular rental sites in your area where generally renters and rental management companies in your city or town go to? In US the most popular ones and likely the biggest names would be Zillow, Trulia and Apartment List. You may also want to check out Hot Pad, Zumper. and realtor.com as well all of which are fast growing currently. Many of these rental websites are free to use for landlords.
If you are in Canada, you definitely want to check out Trovit.ca, RentWell.Ca, Rentcafe.com and Rentfaster.ca is also popular for listing your rental property in Calgary and Edmonton area however it does have a listing fee. For some cities and communities classified websites such as craigslist and Kijiji remains the first place to go so you may want to check them out as well. This way you are able to cast a wider net to reach maximum potential renters in short period of time.

B. Social Media:
If you are active on social media, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are great mediums to advertise your rental property showcasing its best features. Also if you have decent number of social connections let them know that you are looking for a good tenants and would appreciate a potential referral and would be happy to return the favor in future. The great thing about this is that now you are not alone looking but have many others who may be able to send someone they know and trust to send your way!

​C. Property Management Companies in Calgary
This may sound like an old fashion way but when it comes to knowing the tricks of the trade, Calgary property management companies can be really a great help. The local Real Estate and Property Management companies not only know the community very well, they are also well connected and know the pulse of the market to advise you on the fair rental value of your property for listing.
They will also ensure your property pictures and videos are professional taken are posted on all relevant rental websites and best features of the property are well presented during tenant showings. This can especially be a godsend if your rental property is far off in a different city or if you happen to be a busy professional yourself with no time or energy to do the heavy lifting yourself.
If your rental property has a mortgage line against, you really want your vacancy to be filled quickly so you don’t end up paying mortgage on an empty rental property and drain your savings. Makes sure you talk to at least couple of realtors and property management companies to find the one you feel most comfortable to work with.

D. Local Bulletin Boards:
Put up flyers for your rental in the community where your property is located. This can include bulletin boards at grocery stores, churches, colleges, Laundromats, and local cafes. Because these places can be busy, use a creative headline and big, colorful pictures to draw interest to the flyer and it should include the property address, the number of bedrooms and your contact information. On the bottom of the flyer, include tear-offs for people to take.

E. "For Rent’ Signs:
Put ‘For Rent’ sign on windows and or front lawn of your rental property. This is probably another old world way to get attention of potential tenants.  The passersby may be interested themselves or may know someone else who is looking to rent in the area. Make sure property features and a phone number can be clearly read from street level.

F. Use your network:
Spread the word as much as possible by letting as many people in and around you that you have a tenant vacancy. Tell your brother, sister, hairdresser, boss, and mechanic that you have a property for rent. Always have flyers with you so you can hand them out when needed. You can even offer a referral fee to give a greater incentive.

Bonus Tip: Be Flexible For Right Tenant
Good tenants can be hard to find. Therefore when you are advertising your rental property in Calgary, there are few allowances to consider if the ideal tenant lands on your doorstep. They may request a slight decrease in rent, ask permission for a small pet or minor changes to be made to the property or rental terms. In such cases, if the tenant fits well from your screen criteria, and looking for a long term commitment, it may be worth relaxing some restrictions to bring them over the line as your future tenant!
Get in touch with one of the best Calgary rental property professional! While you may want to save a few hundred dollars and do it yourself, in challenging times like these, the search may be even more stressful.  Good property management companies or if you are just looking for advise or guidance a local rental property professional can be the easiest way to find a tenant for your rental property.

Technology is a real boon for us. Now with just a few clicks they can get tons of useful information. If you are a renter is looking for rental properties in Calgary, Alberta, all that requires is searching online for Calgary rental properties and exploring the options out there from single family homes, condos or apartments on rental websites or websites of property management companies in Calgary.

Ideally you should start your rental property search at least 2 months before your property vacancy  date. Do your own research and planning in terms available rentals in your area, offered amenities, property features and rental prices in your community.

Also have in mind what type of tenant you are looking for, would you allow pets in your rental and how you'd screen tenants for their credit worthiness. Note of caution, you should meet the renter in person and have the rental application or lease signed before accepting any money for your rental home.

When it comes to marketing your Calgary rental property you have a variety of options to market your rental property in Calgary from engaging property management and rental websites as well as local classified sites such as Kijiji to get your property online.

Alternately you can work with a local rental property management company or leasing agents in Calgary. Today we’d walk you through top 10 best property rental websites to list your rental property in Calgary!

1. Your Website or Social Platform
If you have your website, it should be advertising central for your rental property listings. This is where you can feature photos, detailed information, and the ability to easily connect with your property management staff. Make sure your website is SEO friendly and professionally taken care for with simple design and copy.

​If you don’t have a personal website, consider using your social media platforms to showcase your rental listing such as Facebook, Twitter Or Instagram to let your social circle know that you are looking to rent your property. Keep quality photos and write a professional description. Don't know what rent you can get? Contact us for a free rental estimate!

2. RentWell.Ca
A good rental website should;

1. Provide your property rental listing wider tenant reach,
2. Help you find the pre screened quality tenant leads,
3. Help you effortlessly schedule tenant showings so you don’t waste time in multiple calls or emails
4. And finally help you get tenant rental applications online without having to print and sign a physical rental application saving time.

If you are looking to find a rental, RentWell.Ca can be your hidden secret! RentWell.Ca with it's simple and faster design provides great value because it provides all of the above tools and more for landlords across Alberta.

The best rental website in Alberta to help landlords navigate the digital universe to showcase their home rentals to find the most qualified renters for their rentals. RentWell.Ca is free to use for tenants and landlords yet packs unmatched value. Looking to rent your home? List your home now! 

3. Kijiji Canada
Kijiji is Canada’s largest classifieds site with millions of live ads in a wide range of categories - cars, housing, jobs and everything in between. Two new ads are posted every second! Kijiji Canada provides a platform that connects Canadians, helping them to list and rent their homes in their community, make money off unused possessions cluttering up houses, and help the country waste less.

4. Rentfaster.ca
RentFaster.ca launched into the real estate market in 2003 to help homeowners advertise their vacancies and renters find their perfect home. We started in Calgary and expanded to Edmonton in 2005 positioning it as the leading online home listing service for Alberta.

The site aims to help all Canadians rent their homes and, in 2016, we expanded our reach to encompass all of Canada. RentFaster.ca has rapidly changed over the years as our knowledge of the rental industry and available technology has evolved. We strive to provide the most technologically advanced user-friendly site available by constantly updating with new features geared towards renters and landlords.

5. Realtor.ca
Realtor.ca manages both rentals and real estate sales. It only accepts listings from property managers and owners. The interface is a little less straightforward and attractive than sites like Zillow, but it provides a simple search function for price and location.

6. Padmapper
Padmapper has a fun, interactive map that allows prospective renters to set a price, set a number of bedrooms, and look at cities across North America that suit that price range. Renters won't see your actual listing until after the initial search when they dig a little deeper.

7. 4Rent.ca
Rent.ca is a subsidiary of Media Classified Corporation was launched in 2010. Since then, 4Rent.ca has connected rental property owners and managers with apartment hunters across Canada through high-profile print and web listings.

Headquartered in Toronto, 4Rent.ca helps clients secure a larger market share and grow their bottom lines with high circulation magazines, comprehensive website search functions, integrated social media sharing, SEO copywriting, and much more.

8. Prop2go.ca
Site is dedicated to user friendliness and provides an up-to-date, easy to use Search tool that is designed to locate properties (apartments, houses, etc.) quickly and efficiently. Prop2Go will match your search criteria, such as amenities and price ranges, so that you can not only view written details of your results, but also view detailed photos.

Landlords can list your apartment, condo, house, real estate, land or commercial property in minutes and self-manage your account with little effort. Use site to rent or sell your property today using Prop2Go. Searching for a property? Find your next apartment, condo, house, land, or commercial property for sale, rent or lease on Prop2Go

9. Rentdigs
Rentdigs features free photo listings. Prospective tenants can not only find rentals, they can also find rent-to-own homes and moving company quotes. Rentdigs features a single photo and some simple information on the listing, so make sure your photo is a good one.

10. Rentals.ca
Rentals.com makes it easy for tenants to search for exactly the type of home they want, with searches compiled into condos, lofts, duplexes, and more. There's less information required about amenities, and it has your contact information and the availability flagged to press people to call.

If you are a local rental owner or a property manager at a property management company in Calgary, these websites would help you get the word out to maximum number of renters in your area.  How do you advertise your property rental and which platforms have worked for you? Do share your comments below!  ​